How State Economies Are Performing

View the latest jobs data for states -- and trends over time.

The U.S. Department of Labor published updated jobs data for states Friday. Here’s a summary of a few key economic indicators:

Unemployment Rates

Thirty-two states recorded unemployment rate declines for October. Over the previous 12 months, Michigan (-1.6 percentage points) and Rhode Island (-1.7 percentage points) have experienced the largest declines. States reporting the highest jobless rates nationally for last month were West Virginia (6.9 percent), New Mexico (6.8 percent) and Nevada (6.6 percent).

Total Payroll Employment

California added an estimated 41,200 jobs last month -- more than any other state -- followed by Florida’s gain of 35,200. In terms of percentage increases, Idaho (+1.1 percent), Alaska (+0.9 percent) and Wyoming (+0.8 percent) recorded the strongest growth for the month. States suffering the largest losses were Louisiana (-6,200), Indiana (-3,400) and North Carolina (-3,100).

Employment-to-Population Ratios

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States with the largest monthly increases in the employment-to-population ratio, which considers individuals who’ve dropped out of the labor force, include Kansas (+0.6 percentage points), Oregon (+0.5 percentage points) and Missouri (+0.5 percentage points). Twelve other states recorded slight declines in the employment-to-population ratio, led by Louisiana (-0.5 percentage points) and Vermont (-0.4 percentage points).

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In a rare moment of bipartisanship, attorneys general from every U.S. state and territory signed a letter asking Congress to stop employers from forcing sexual harassment claims to be resolved out of court.